People who bought this also bought...

The Dharma Bums

Two ebullient young men are engaged in a passionate search for dharma, or truth. Their major adventure is the pursuit of the Zen way, which takes them climbing into the high Sierras to seek the lesson of solitude - a lesson that has a hard time surviving their forays into the pagan groves of San Francisco's bohemia, with its marathon wine-drinking bouts, poetry jam sessions, experiments in "yabyum", and other non-ascetic pastimes.

On the Road: 50th Anniversary Edition

Few novels have had as profound an impact on American culture as On the Road. Pulsating with the rhythms of 1950s underground America, jazz, sex, illicit drugs, and the mystery and promise of the open road, Kerouac's classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be "beat" and has inspired generations of writers, musicians, artists, poets, and seekers who cite their discovery of the book as the event that "set them free".

Big Sur

"Big Sur's a humane, precise account of the extraordinary ravages of alcohol delirium tremens on Kerouac, a superior novelist who had strength to complete his poetic narrative, a task few scribes so afflicted have accomplished...others crack up. Here we meet San Francisco's poets and recognize hero Dean Moriarty 10 years after On the Road. Jack Kerouac was a 'writer,' as his great peer W.S. Burroughs says, and here at the peak of his suffering humorous genius he wrote through his misery to end with 'Sea,' a brilliant poem appended, on the hallucinatory sounds of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur." - Allen Ginsberg

Naked Lunch: The Restored Text

Naked Lunch is one of the most important novels of the 20th century, a book that redefined not just literature but American culture. An unnerving tale of a narcotics addict unmoored in New York, Tangiers, and, ultimately, a nightmarish wasteland known as Interzone.

Ham on Rye: A Novel

In what is widely hailed as the best of his many novels, Charles Bukowski details the long, lonely years of his own hardscrabble youth in the raw voice of alter ego Henry Chinaski. From a harrowingly cheerless childhood in Germany through acne-riddled high school years, and his adolescent discoveries of alcohol, women, and the Los Angeles Public Library's collection of D. H. Lawrence, Ham on Rye offers a crude, brutal, and savagely funny portrait of an outcast's coming-of-age during the desperate days of the Great Depression.

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks

More than 60 years ago, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, two novice writers at the dawn of their careers, sat down to write a novel about the summer of 1944, when one of their friends killed another in a moment of brutal and tragic bloodshed. Alternating chapters, they pieced together a hard-boiled tale of bohemian New York during World War II, full of drugs and obsession, art and violence.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

In Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, Raoul Duke (Thompson) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (inspired by a friend of Thompson) are quickly diverted to search for the American dream. Their quest is fueled by nearly every drug imaginable and quickly becomes a surreal experience that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. But there is more to this hilarious tale than reckless behavior, for underneath the hallucinogenic facade is a stinging criticism of American greed and consumerism.

Post Office: A Novel

"It began as a mistake." By middle age, Henry Chinaski has lost more than 12 years of his life to the U.S. Postal Service. In a world where his three true, bitter pleasures are women, booze, and racetrack betting, he somehow drags his hangover out of bed every dawn to lug waterlogged mailbags up mud-soaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the day-to-day trials of sadistic bosses and certifiable coworkers.

Journey to the End of the Night

Louis-Ferdinand Celine's revulsion and anger at what he considered the idiocy and hypocrisy of society explodes from nearly every minute of this novel. Filled with slang and obscenities and written in raw, colloquial language, Journey to the End of the Night is a literary symphony of violence, cruelty, and obscene nihilism. This book shocked most critics when it was first published in France in 1932, but quickly became a success with the public in Europe, and later in America.

Wake Up

Originally written in 1955 and now published for the first time in audiobook form, Wake Up is Kerouac's retelling of the life of Prince Siddartha Gotama, who as a young man abandoned his wealthy family and comfortable home for a lifelong searchfor Enlightenment. Distilled from a wide variety of canonical scriptures, Wake Up serves as both a penetrating account of the Buddha's life and a concise primer on the principal teachings of Buddhism.

Junky

Burroughs' first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures, and relapses, remains the most unflinching, unsentimental account of addiction ever written. Through time spent kicking and time spent dealing, through junk sickness and a sanatorium, Junky is a field report from the American post-war drug underground. It has influenced generations of writers with its raw, sparse and unapologetic tone.

Women: A Novel

Low-life writer and unrepentant alcoholic Henry Chinaski was born to survive. After decades of slacking off at low-paying dead-end jobs, blowing his cash on booze and women, and scrimping by in flea-bitten apartments, Chinaski sees his poetic star rising at last. Now, at 50, he is reveling in his sudden rock-star life, running three hundred hangovers a year, and maintaining a sex life that would cripple Casanova.

Walden: Life in the Woods

Thoreau's classic account of the solitary life, describing his attempts to simplify his life and sort out his priorities by living alone in a cabin beside Walden Pond for nearly two years, is one of the most influential books ever written. The bible of the environmental movement, Walden vividly portrays Thoreau's reverence for nature, and his understanding of the idea that nature is made up of crucially interrelated parts.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This thought-provoking journal of a man's quest for truth - and for himself - has touched and changed an entire generation, and is ready to reach out to a new one. At its heart, the story is all too simple: a man and his son take a motorcycle trip across America. But this is not a simple trip at all, for around every corner, their pilgrimage leads them to new vistas of self-discovery and renewal.

Slaughterhouse-Five

Traumatized by the bombing of Dresden at the time he had been imprisoned, Pilgrim drifts through all events and history, sometimes deeply implicated, sometimes a witness. He is surrounded by Vonnegut's usual large cast of continuing characters (notably here the hack science fiction writer Kilgore Trout and the alien Tralfamadorians, who oversee his life and remind him constantly that there is no causation, no order, no motive to existence).

A Perfect Union of Contrary Things

This is the official authorized biography of musician and vintner Maynard James Keenan, the enigmatic vocalist for Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer. Co-author Sarah Jensen's 30-year friendship with Keenan gives her unique insight into his history and career trajectory. The book traces Keenan's journey from his Midwest childhood to his years in the army to his time in art school, from his stint at a Boston pet shop to his place in the international spotlight and his influence on contemporary music and regional winemaking.

Sometimes a Great Notion

A literary icon sometimes seen as a bridge between the Beat Generation and the hippies, Ken Kesey scored an unexpected hit with his first novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. His successful follow-up, Sometimes a Great Notion, was also transformed into a major motion picture, directed by and starring Paul Newman. Here, Oregon’s Stamper family does what it can to survive a bitter strike dividing their tiny logging community. And as tensions rise, delicate family bonds begin to fray and unravel.

Catch-22

Catch-22 is set in the closing months of World War II, in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy. Its hero is a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. (He has decided to live forever, even if he has to die in the attempt.)

Publisher's Summary

Here is the legendary 1951 "scroll" draft of On the Road, word for word as Jack Kerouac originally composed it.

Though Kerouac began thinking about the novel that was to become On the Road as early as 1947, it was not until three weeks in April 1951, in an apartment on West 20th Street in Manhattan, that he wrote the first full draft that was satisfactory to him. Typed out as one long, single-spaced paragraph on eight long sheets of tracing paper that he later taped together to form a 120-foot scroll, this document is among the most significant, celebrated, and provocative artifacts in contemporary American literary history. It represents the first full expression of Kerouac's revolutionary aesthetic, the identifiable point at which his thematic vision and narrative voice came together in a sustained burst of creative energy.

It was not until more than six years later, and after several new drafts, that Viking published, in 1957, the novel known to us today. The differences between the two versions are principally ones of significant detail and altered emphasis. The scroll is slightly longer and has a heightened linguistic virtuosity and a more sexually frenetic tone. It also uses the real names of Kerouac's friends instead of the fictional names he later invented for them.

This audio edition is narrated by actor John Ventimiglia, best known for his portrayal of restaurant owner Artie Bucco in The Sopranos.

What the Critics Say

"It is a dazzling piece of writing for all of its rough edges, and, stripped of affectations...it seems much more immediate and even contemporary....The novel that On the Road became was inarguably the book that young people needed in 1957, but the sparse and unassuming scroll is the living version for our time." (The New York Times)

A delightful listen. Many reviewers here apparently did not know what they were listening to. This is not "On the Road"; this is an early version of that novel, much more stream-of-conscious and meandering, as typed on a single scroll with little sleep and many stimulants. The narrative structure of the originally published version seems a little questionable to me, and this is even more meandering, with interludes and characters that really go nowhere. But if you appreciated the beauty of the original (and as some of the negative reviewers surmised, learning how to have fulfilling, mature relationships is not one of the things you should come here for), hearing this considerably longer version is wonderful. "Artie Bucco"'s reading is a joy--I kept forgetting that I wasn't listening to Kerouac reading it. He really captures the spirit, and was one of the best matches between reader and material that I have heard.

John Ventimiglia is a fine narrator, giving a lusty performance that never bores. It sounds as if we're listening to Kerouac himself. Of course it helps that the "original scroll" was written in an autobiographical style, that Kerouc names the real names (Allen Ginsburg, etc). There's nothing not to like in this recording: in fact, I'd say this was award-nominating material. My only caution is that as the scroll itself was without a break, so too the narration--you'll find yourself listening way longer than you'd intended, falling into the rythm of the road and the poetry of Kerouc as interpreted by Ventimiglia.

admittedly, on the road is probably my favorite book ever. i've read the originally-published print version five times. this reading of the scroll version is incredible - the narrator captures the spirit of the book perfectly. it flows with an energy that i think would impress jack and neal. i heard the narrator read excerpts in person, and the recording is just as good. i can't wait to read it again!

I'm listened to many, many audible books over the past five or so years and this is the best narration I've heard. Completely authentic sounding and bringing this wild tale to life, John Ventimiglia does a fantastic job. Really enjoyed it.

I loved this story! I didn't realise that this was the original scroll when I downloaded it. But I'm so glad I did, It was so great hearing the real names of the characters from Kerouac's famous book (on the road). The narrouter did an excellent job as well.I had some great laughs!

Now 37 years later for me this was my first rereading of this book since the first time. My initial reaction as a 50 something was that these guys are way too over-the-top ... What did I see in this when I was 23? Knowing that On the Road has been a tremendous influence on many people as well as myself and after pondering my initial reactions to this rereading I think I may have initially over reacted in that I did learn temperance and not to be too crazy in the future back in 1977. There is balance in the pages for the reader and Kerouac does teach us to live life and to reflect. Do as he says not as he and Neil do.John Ventimiglia's voice was perfect for the text. 5 stars for him and 5 stars for Jack and let's not forget Neil.

Thanks to Audible, we listened to the book as the cracked asphalt road unwound and lead us on our own road trip. Past old farm houses in sad decay, and overly happy McDonald's franchises filled with football watching farmers in camouflage hats buying mediocre mass produced burgers for shallow adolescents innocently unaware of the profound lack of profoundness that characterized their lives. Blissfully ignorant of anything beyond American Idol, and incognizant of the world of ideas, past and present, outside of the gleaming plastic temple of Ronald McDonald.

Long, Mindless stretches of Interstate punctuated by side trips to little towns that used to be, but no longer were, and through a layer of dust and decay still evoked the spirit of Kerouac's bus stops. The train stations were closed, silent cold and dead except for a few near bedroom communities which housed Yuppie restaurants serving the more prosperous descendents of Kerouac's generation.

Less intense than the experiences of Kerouac, but Lexus comfortable with an American Express card that would obviate the need to choose between a fifth of Jack or a bologna sandwich in a broken down diner near the railroad tracks. The hitch hikers had vanished much as the Elk vanished from Elk Ridge a century ago, but both their ghosts lingered along the side of the roads.

Although unpolished (in this edition), Jack&#8217;s prose glistened with imagination and poetic promise. A story less about characters that we care about and more about a generation seeking to learn about alternatives to the culture that they were born into and/or trapped into. A story about writers becoming writers while traveling in search of traveling and searching.

A joy to listen to. An adventure to read. One of the best readers that we have listened to. If you dig it, buy it.

The "beat" generation of the late 40's and 50'sthat laid the foundation for the 60's and 70's mass cultural revolution was a white male phenomenon with profoundly racist ideas and fully supportive of male supremacy, yet it still managed to challenge the "straight" society that was otherwise thoroughly suckered into the consumerist cu materialism of the post-war ascendant American industrial empire. Kerouac's grilling of this tale without a shred of anticipation of the mass civil rights and feminist movements that would begin in just a half dozen years highlights the degree of radical transformation inherent in those movements.